Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I've never been great at bedtimes. Even as I write this, it's thirty minutes past when I really should go to bed if I've got a snowball's chance in heck of feeling rested tomorrow. But I'm a night owl, so here I am, typing away on my laptop in bed.

When I was a child I couldn't be nearly as productive during fits of insomnia, so my favorite thing to do was sneak down the stairs and annoy my parents who were trying to spend quality time together watching television. I remember making up ridiculous excuses so I could hear the opening theme song to Hotel or curl up on the couch with them while they watched thirtysomething. While my parents were actually more on the brink of forty and dealing with tweens, they seemed to never miss this show, and as a ten year old avoiding sleep, I couldn't help but wonder why the show was so important.

Now that I have Parenthood, I completely understand.

I'm not sure exactly how I first stumbled on Parenthood, but I remember being excited about a show based on such an incredible movie. It wasn't until I watched the first episode that I realized that the parents aren't the old people anymore. They're me. Every conversation between spouses feels familiar, every moment of stress over the children rings true to my own fears. Tonight's sneak preview of next week's episode has Sarah Braverman excusing her father's crazy behavior by shouting, "He has Tourette's" and immediately my husband and I decided that that is our new excuse for my wonderfully wacky father's ramblings.

Everything about the relationships and struggles feels so much like home - I've found my reason to keep the kids in bed and curl up in front of the television with my husband. And yes, I really am thirty-something...